Professor Paul Marcus Receives Sullivan Award
To perpetuate the memory of the life of Algernon Sydney Sullivan, the New York Southern Society has arranged to make awards to one man and one woman in William & Mary’s graduating class, and to one other person who has a close relationship with the college. In selection of recipients, nothing is considered except characteristics of heart, mind, and helpfulness to others.
Since joining the William & Mary law faculty in 1992, Marcus has received many awards for his commitment to scholarship and instruction, including the Law School’s John Marshall Award and the Walter L. Williams, Jr. Teaching Award.
“Today, we honor him for the spirit with which he gives of himself – especially to those in need,” William & Mary President Gene R. Nichol said.
For the past several years, Nichol said, Marcus has served as a mentor to middle-school and elementary-school students through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization – and was named the group’s 2004 Volunteer of the Year. Marcus has also founded a law and literature program at the Central Virginia Regional Jail where he and law students visit inmates once a month. Marcus currently volunteers his time to work with Habitat for Humanity and serves as co-reporter, with University of Oklahoma Associate Law Professor Mary Sue Backus '01, for the National Committee on the Right to Counsel, which is a massive effort to examine defendants' rights in criminal cases across the country.